History of Policing in the United States

Introduction

• Understanding contemporary policing requires a look at its history in the U.S.
• The U.S. struggles with defining the role of police in a democracy.
• Conflicting attitudes towards police: desire for professional force vs. suspicion of government power.
• Founding fathers feared a national police force, promoting local control.

Early Policing Methods

• Community Policing: Early settlers had no paid police, relied on community enforcement.
  • Shunning and public disapproval were methods of informal social control.
  • Tight-knit communities, like Old Order Amish, still use similar methods.
• Puritan Enforcement: Used public humiliation and punishment.
• External threats were prioritized over internal, e.g., conflicts with Native Americans.

Growth of Formal Policing

• Early Community Watches: Town criers served as early patrols, spreading news and warnings.
• Population Growth: By 1720, the U.S. population was less than half a million.
  • Citizen watch made sense in small communities.
• As populations grew, reliance shifted to formal policing systems.

Westward Expansion

• Eastern vs. Western Policing: Eastern cities had paid police, Western settlers had sheriffs.
• Sheriff's Role: Relied on local volunteers, deputized for temporary police duties.
• Private security firms like Pinkertons became powerful, sometimes seen as private armies.

The Civil War and Its Aftermath

• Slavery and Policing: The South used police to enforce slavery.
• The Civil War caused significant loss and led to the growth of police forces.
• Post-war, policing played a role in racial tensions and the rollback of African American rights.

Racial Tensions and Policing

• Post-Reconstruction: Rise of KKK and rollback of African-American rights.
• Southern sheriffs enforced Jim Crow laws.
• Lynching incidents often involved police complicity.

Conclusion

• The history of policing in the U.S. reflects broader social and political changes.
• Ongoing challenges include ensuring police respect and protect the rights of all citizens.